Educated

• We felt that, although the subject matter was miserable in places, the book itself was compelling and very well written. The writing style needed to lift the narrative and keep us wanting more because the topic was so bleak. The message we ultimately took from the book was one of hope though – education saves people, and that message is more important now than ever before, given the state of the world. With education being denied to women and girls in Afghanistan, and ever-increasing cuts being made to various sectors closer to home, the importance of having access to education is a nice hopeful message to take away from this book and one that needs to be heard. We were also happy for Westover that she ended up reconnecting with her extended family at the end of the book, having had minimal contact for most of her life
• We greatly admired Tara Westover’s motivation and drive to succeed. She was clearly not afraid of hard work but resilience and a willingness to learn can’t have been the only thing that allowed her to obtain degrees from some of the most well-renowned universities in the world. We talked about how Westover’s siblings who did go to college all went on to do advanced degrees so there must have been something in the genes! It was odd though that the Westover children either got no education and went to work for the family firm, or went on to get multiple degrees!
• Our main problem with the book was the few occasions where things got a little far-fetched. For example, the multiple instances of family members being severely injured and all making full recoveries despite not seeking medical help. Westover does continually remind us that she’s an unreliable narrator however!
• We talked about how easy it is in America for families such as the Westovers to slip through the cracks of the welfare state. Given the vastness of the country and its many disparate elements, it’s so easy for small pockets of people to live totally isolated and off-the-grid. Combined with Tara’s dad’s bipolar disorder, this created a perfect storm where he was allowed to indulge his survivalist paranoia
• The depictions of abuse were uncomfortable to read but very well done. As readers we became frustrated with many members of the family for not calling out violent behaviour and for not speaking to each other about their own experiences of abuse so as to help each other. We were concerned, however, about the potential for victim blaming and we realised that it was easy as outsiders to expect everyone to react rationally in that situation. Westover specifically says in the book that she didn’t realise her childhood was troubled or different in any way until she was well into her university career. Since this was the only version of home life any of the other children had ever experienced, they weren’t to know either. Westover’s desire to stay in touch with her family even after realising that the abusive behaviour wasn’t acceptable was slightly harder to stomach. We felt that this just goes to show, not only the level of indoctrination but also, how deep family ties truly go
• We spoke about why memoirs are so gripping and decided that, sometimes, it’s simply that truth is stranger than fiction!

Tara grew up in a Mormon community in rural Idaho. Her father was both extremist and eccentric but was also a very strong character who verged on the tyrannical. As a result, both his wife and his many children submitted to his views and his beliefs without question, tantamount to brainwashing. His fanatical religious convictions led to a deep mistrust of the government as he believed that God would provide, and that medical care was therefore unnecessary – his wife was a herbalist who concocted home-grown potions which were considered a far superior alternative. Any kind of formal education was outlawed and in theory the children were home-schooled - in practice this did not happen and the fact that they grew up being able to read and write at all was something of a miracle, but all other aspects of education were missing completely from their childhood. He firmly believed that the end of the world was nigh and rallied his large family into preparing for the event by stockpiling huge amounts of fuel, food, water etc. It was in this environment that Tara grew up. She was one of the younger siblings and was clearly highly intelligent but was never given the opportunity to see any other viewpoint except that of her father. Once she is well into her teens, she begins to see a glimmer of another world but the pull of her family is very strong and escaping from their clutches is not going to be an easy ride.

I am in two minds about this book. For the most part it was interesting, giving glimpses of daily life in a fundamentalist Mormon family as well as the more quirky aspects of living with a fanatical father. There were also a lot of dramatic events which occurred during her childhood. Once Tara started to try and break free, there were many fascinating insights which revealed the extent of her sheltered upbringing and the difficulties which she was going to have to overcome in order to pursue an academic career.

However, somehow I wanted more. There seemed to be a disconnect between the various aspects of her father’s behaviour and attitudes and this may well have been clarified had there been a little more information about the Mormon theology. I don’t know enough about the Mormon religion to know whether the father’s convictions about the evil intentions of the government were a reasonable (if extreme) extension of that religion or whether they were unrelated and just a personal eccentricity. I found this frustrating and would have loved to learn more about the fundamentals of the faith which in turn would have given more clarity to the book. In a similar vein, I suspect his predictions about the date the world would end were part and parcel of his faith but this was not explained. I found that I couldn’t get a cohesive picture of him into my head – there just seemed to be too many attributes which I couldn’t reconcile and which somehow didn‘t fit together into one complete “whole”. Her father’s charisma, which seemed to manifest itself to the larger community, does not come through in the book, not to me anyway and this may partly have been why I struggled to get my head round his character.
Also, I struggled at the start of this book, so much so that I nearly gave up. This was largely because I found it disjointed. This may well have been because it was written such a long time after the childhood events took place that the memories are just snapshots of memorable incidents but it is none the less disconcerting for that. To some extent it became more coherent as the book progressed but the problem was never entirely resolved.
Finally, I felt that Tara may have written the book a little too soon as it wasn’t clear that she had entirely resolved the issues with her family. I was left feeling slightly uncomfortable, almost like watching someone recover from an addiction where there is the possibility of a relapse at any moment.

This book has had rave reviews from a huge number of people so it would be churlish of me not to highly recommend it. And to be fair, after a slow start I did enjoy it. I was somehow just left feeling a little unconvinced.

I'm conflicted about this book and unsure what I think about it, including a star rating, anywhere from two- to four. A perfect Book Group choice, for sure, that sparked lengthy discussion last night among those who had/hadn't yet read the book.

I am full of admiration for Tara Westover, still only 35 years old, same age as my eldest, and her incredible achievements. Tbh I found it hard to believe 50 pages in I was reading Memoir not Fiction, and there were subsequent niggling moments of doubt as to the veracity of Tara's account. She invites that, however, by the inclusion of Footnotes, where she points out discrepancies between what she remembers and her siblings' recall (those she remains in contact with were allowed to see proofs to fact-check). We all know how imperfect our memories can be, how within families there are variations of recounted stories, childhood recollections, what WE can remember vs what we've heard so often we THINK the 'memories' our own.

This is not to cast doubt on Tara Westover's book as Memoir. I do believe her story is genuine, however, it raises interesting questions about 'Who tells our stories?', at the personal level and in terms of history and politics. It's no coincidence the author, only irregularly homeschooled and almost entirely self-taught to the point of university entry level, went on to complete postgraduate degrees in related subjects. Truly remarkable. There are also unsettling resonances with our Post-truth society where our leaders lie and mislead at will, the Populist Rightwing pushes Revisionist versions of history, and our democracies' increasing susceptibility to Conspiracy theories.

Of course the family, from rural Idaho, adherents of an extremist version of Mormonism combined with Prepper survivalism and Anti-government paranoia, are extraordinarily talented- three PhDs out of seven children who never had formal schooling and a multimillion $$$ business making and supplying natural remedies and potions for alternative medicine and well-being.

Tara's father is a tyrant, who endangered his own life and those of his wife & family on numerous occasions, refusing conventional medical treatment even when there were serious head injuries and severe wounds. All in God's hands. That they survived, not necessarily as they were before, was proof of Righteousness, their business success and community standing further evidence of Divine approval.

The book is powerful, shocking, heartbreaking, uplifting, jaw-dropping, and frustrating. It made me angry, despairing, relieved, horrified, sickened...so many conflicting emotions, and that's as a mere reader! I cannot fathom what it was like for Tara to live through, the strength of character and resilience. Who did she write the Memoir for, and why? What do her family think about it, the community where they still live and are the main employer?

Finishing the book yesterday and having reflected more, I feel she wrote it too soon. That it has become a huge international bestseller, surely destined for mini-series adaptation, adds further pressures to relationships with family members, and her own unresolved issues. I still don't really know what to make of it all. Do I regret reading? NO!

This engrossing memoir by Tara Westover is her story growing up in an ultra-conservative Morman family under the strict control of a father whose word is law and his laws often enforced with fury and violence. Every member of the family is totally cowed by the power of this manic depressive and paranoid man. They live an isolated existence that is completely off the grid in a world that puts their lives at peril and their minds in ignorance. Anyone not submitting to his will and view of what is right is brutally treated or completely severed from the rest of the family.
"Educated" is not an easy book to read but it is incredibly well written and absorbing. It reads more like a novel but knowing that this is the author's autobiography makes it difficult to put down. She imparts to the reader the constant tension she lived with and to understand the inner workings of her mind that enabled her to not only survive this upbringing but escape it and begin to educate herself.
The author's ability to recount the brutality of her environment and the delicacy of the characters was indeed marvelous. My hat goes off to her for her strength and honesty.

A powerful book that will lead you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Shocking and distressing, but compelling at the same time, this book is difficult to put down. Not for the fainthearted.

A very interesting true story set in the world of a Moran family who are completely shunning society (Well trying to) and how the members seen through the eyes of Tara struggle to cope in the wider world and gradually break away from the tight repressive family unit.
Tara takes you through her childhood journey and into a world of education and identity that most of us never consider.
A very good book.

Tara Westover grew up in a Mormon family in rural Idaho. She never went to school, never went to a doctor and didn’t have a birth certificate until she was nine. This is an extraordinary tale of an uneducated, God-fearing child who escapes into the world and not only survives her upbringing, but thrives. It’s a jaw dropping memoir that hooked me in from the first page.

It is obvious as you read her story that Tara Westover is intellectually gifted and incredibly talented. She educated herself, won scholarships and travelled the world. However, there was a constant niggling in her being she couldn’t throw off - was she worthy, should she be doing any if this, or should she return home to her roots. These are questions she tries to work through as her story unfolds.

At times the narrative is violent, dangerous and frightening to read. Her father’s word is Gospel no matter the situation in her chaotic and unstable family life. As a child and teenager, he was the central figure in Tara’s life, despite his whacky and often off-beat belief system. Her escape comes at a cost that at times is almost unbearable for her.

I enjoyed this book. It is beautifully written and there is a vulnerability that takes this memoir to another level. It is a remarkable story that I couldn’t put down.

St Just Monday Morning Reading Group 28th February 2022.

Educated. Tara Westover.

This book produced a number of reactions from the readers in this group. Most found it ‘a hard read’, and the content deeply disturbing. The recording of the relentless physical and mental abuse Tara suffered at the hands of her family was very hard to take, one reader finding it hardly credible, and another commenting that these sections were written as if it were an academic thesis, with statistics or citations. Tara’s father, obviously, was viewed as a ‘monster’, with a ‘religious mania’, besides being bipolar, lacking in education and ‘not willing to consider alternatives to his interpretation of the world or to change his behaviour’. He bullied his family unmercifully, lived off the work and innovations of his children and wife, and his total disregard for the safety of his children whilst working for him had a devastating effect on them. Tara’s mother also, several people noted, was complicit in turning a blind eye to her husband’s behaviour, as well as permitting serious violence between the children and allowing Tara’s father and brother to ostracise her from the family. The Mormon religion, in itself, was not seen as being to blame for the family’s behaviour, though there were comments about it being ‘suffocating’ and about its expectations of roles, particularly of women. One reader did point out that Tara’s father’s extreme beliefs did, most astonishingly, carry him through the terrible accident he had, his recovery from this also paying tribute to his wife’s skills as a herbalist.

Regarding Tara’s progressing through her academic career with spectacular success despite having had practically no primary or secondary education, all the group, without exception, were deeply impressed and full of admiration. Her breaking away from her family in order to do this was also seen as courageous, and her search for knowledge and success as heart warming. The sadness of having to make such a choice was mentioned, and how hard it is to break family ties. Two or three readers were of the opinion that it was a pity Tara was not able to cut herself off from her family completely, since they were so damaging to her and continued to be so.

Several readers mentioned that though it was probably not part of the author’s purpose, the content of the book raised questions and observations about the Far Right in America, QAnon, conspiracy theories and the frightening power of propaganda and brainwashing.

Tara Westover’s writing style was seen by one reader as ‘crisp and honest’ and one which propelled her along; by others as slightly dry and too academic, failing to flow properly, and coming alive only when she is actually writing about her academic work. But the purpose and placing of this book were questioned by several people. Some parts of the narrative were slightly confusing, and her point of view was not made clear; it seems that possibly she was writing this book in order to sort out her feelings for her own benefit, but the result was not necessarily conveyed to the reader. The effect of this, to some commentators, was that they weren’t sure what to make of the book and found it conflicting. Perhaps, someone suggested, it would have been better to have waited a while and written this book later on, when some distance had been achieved. Another said: ‘Is she trying to educate us as to the dangers she encountered. Or is it just a tale of her struggle?’ The author does discuss her dual perception of herself, as her own educated persona on the one hand, and her father’s dutiful and submissive daughter on the other. Most such memoirs end with either a complete separation of the author from the restraining family or else a reconciliation; this one does neither.

This book was read during February 2022 and the continuing restrictions due to the Covid-19 virus, and so the discussion was not 'live' as usual, but took place via a Facebook group, email and telephone conversations.

🇮🇳 BOOK REVIEW📚
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Book- Educated
Author- Tara Westover
Genre- Nonfiction/ Autobiography

📌We say that world is evolved or advanced to a length that now we reached on moon! But not all! There are many who still struggle for basic amenities or they are refrained by circumstances or situations as we know all fingers are not same.

📌Educated is remarkable and beautiful tale of hope, struggle, survival and success. This powerful memoir elaborates Tara's journey from the foothills of Buck's peak in Idaho to Cambridge University. A religious fanatic abusive father who does not believe in education,medical assistance or sanitization ruled the family. Youngest of 7 children 'Tara' grew up radically wild. She hardly took bath in childhood or washed hands after restroom. Even burns of explosion were treated by herbs,not permitted to go to doctor, school or have any government facilities. In essence nobody was allowed to connect with the outside world! If something bad happened with them,it was considered to be will of God,even her brother's mental health deterioration or violent behaviour was ignored for the same reason.

📌She takes little help and self educates herself in Maths and English. Her determination and struggle to gain, improve and inculcate education to reach college is sympathetic!

📍Educated is soul wrenching ordeal of Tara and it is immensely worth reading & recommendation!❤️

Riveting, couldn't put it down.

Another read with Gloucester Book Club. A powerful and absorbing memoir by Tara Westover. At times shocking and disturbing, Tara relates her own experiences of growing up in an orthodox Mormon household in America, and how she ultimately escapes her upbringing, travelling to the UK to study and find a new way of life. Highly recommend!